Programing device



April 18, 1961 G. H. DoBERsTElN 2,980,772

PROGRAMING DEVICE Filed March 7, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fl' C5'. l 55- llljlllll' Illllllll' IIIIIIIIHI'ITI' l ss 577 JNVENToR.

' Irfan/urs United States atent F p z,9so,71z PRoGRAMrNG DEVICE George H. Doberstein, 9906 Chicago, Ave.,

` l Minneapolis, Minn.

This invention has relation to a periodically cycling device which provides banks of endless paths for parts of electrical contacts, said paths being made up of segments of which can be positioned to expose either a current conducting face or non-current conducting face to said pair of conductors in accordance with any desired sequency.

In a device made according to the present invention, a control drum is rotatably mounted in a case to complete a 360 `cycle in the time allocated for a complete control sequence. An annular ring of segments or slidersare provided in each of a multiplicity of banks located in adjacent relationship longitudinally along the axis of the drum. Each of said rings is contacted by a pair of electrical conducting rfingers mounted on said case. Each of said sliders is moveable parallel to the axis of said drum from a position in which a metallic electrical conducting face isvcircumferentially alined with said fingers to a position where a face of non-conducting material is alined with said fingers.

The construction and arrangement of the sliders or segments on the drum is such that a smooth and con` tnuous surface.l around the periphery of the individual control banks is preserved regardless of whether any particular adjacent sliders are in the current conducting or non-conducting position. As the drum rotates, therefore, the conductorsy slide entirely smoothly from segment to segment.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a programmingdevice of the present invention; n

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the device of Fig. 'l as seen on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 in Fig. l;

l Fig. 4 is a further enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the line 4-4 in Fig. 3;

Pig. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical sectional view taken on the line 5-5 in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a slider or segment made laccording to `the present invention; and

Fig. 7 is a schematic view of one complete set of the electrical components of the invention associated with a control circuit. n

Referring to the drawings and the numerals of reference thereon, a programming device, denoted generally at 20 consists of a cylindrical drum 21 rotatably mounted on and keyed to an axle 22 as at 23. This axle is coupled as at 24 to an electric motor gear box mechanism 25 which can be of any usual preferred construction suitable for adjustably controlling the rate of rotation of the axle 22 to the end that complete rotation of the drum 21 can be accomplished within any prescribed or .desired time. The axle 22 is also journaled with respect to a base or case 52,'u'pon which the motor is also mounted.

The drum 21 is built up of a multiplicity of control banks 26, each of which includes left and right control bank end plates 27 and 28, respectively, separated from each other to be concentric with the axle 22 and to be permanently fixed with respect to each other by spacers 29, 29 and fastening means 30, 30 constituted as bolts and nuts. A relatively thick walled right circular cylinder 31 of non-conducting material is concentric with the axle 22 and rests on the outer periphery of an outwardly extending first cylindrical flange 32 of each of the end plates 27 and 28. An outer at disc 33 is integral with, and extends outwardly from the cylindrical flange 32. Cylinder 31, by virtue of end contact with such disc 33, also serves as a spacer for said end plates. A second cylindrical flange 34, 34 extendsk integrally inwardly from the disc 33 at an outer edge thereof. The inner surface of each such flange 34 and an outer surface of said cylinder 31 together partially define slider encompassing area 35.

In this slider encompassing area, a plurality or ring of sliders 36 are mounted in edge to edge relationship. Each of said sliders has a part-cylindrical upward or outer surface 37 of non-conducting material, and a part-cylindrical face 38 of high electrical conductivity. Each of said sliders 36 is provided with a pair of positioning pin openings 40, 40 extending therethrough. A pair of positioning pins 4l, 41 pass slidably through said openings in the slider and are mounted as at 42 in openings provided in the disc 33 of each of the side plates 27 and 2S. The slider is, therefore, movable from a position as seen at the bottom of Fig. 4 withthe non-conducting cylindrical surface 37 exposed between the two ends of the second cylindrical llange 34 to position as seen in the top of that figure with the conducting surface 38 so exposed. A

spring clip 43 is associated with each of the sliders 36 and is mounted in a groove 44 in the right circular cylinder 31 provided for the purpose. An upwardly extending tip 45 of said clip is for the purpose of coming into engaging alinement with either a notch 46 in alinement with the non-conducting surface 37 or a notch 47 in alinement with the conducting surface 38 of said slider, and is for the purpose of holding said slider in position to cause either of these surfaces 37 or 38 to be open through the end of the second cylindrical anges 34, 34 as desired. A handle or linger piece 50 is integral with each of said sliders and is for the purpose of moving the slider between the two positions as outlined above.

The construction of the outer cylindrical surfaces 37 and 38 of the sliders and of side surfaces 51, 51 thereof will be such that a completely smooth outer cylindrical surface will be presented between the two cylindrical anges 34, 34 regardless of whether a particular slider is positioned to expose a conducting or non-conducting surface.

On case 52 is mounted, for each bank 26, a pair of electrical brushes 53 and 54, each to be in operating, sliding contact with the outer cylindrical surfaces of the sliders. These brushes lead to terminals 55 and 56, respectively, from which wires 57 and 58 can extend to any desired controlled or controlling mechanism such as indicated generally at 60.

A sight glass cover 61 is mounted as at 62 in the case 52 and can be removed to allow access to the handles 50 so that the program of each bank can be varied as desired. In order to rapidly'change the programing cycle of any or all of the banks, the coupling 24 will be disabled so that the drum 21 and its axle 22 cau be freely manually rotated.

Operation To give an example of the operation of this device, it willr be assumed that the gear box and the motor are so constructed or adjusted as to cause the axle 22 and drum 21 to make one complete rotation in one hour. Since the segments or sliders 36 are indicated in Fig. 3 as being be in contacting relationship simultaneously with brushes 53 and 54 for exactly one minute during such a cycle. Assume also that an industrial operation or process was to be automatically performed over the period of one hour or less, and that seven different controls or other elements had to be activated and deactivated in a certain described sequence during that cycle. Assume that one of these controls, indicated generally at 60, had to be deactivated for three minutes at the beginning of the cycle, had to be activated for the next six minutes, had to be deactivated for the next three minutes, and activated for the following twelve minutes and then had to remain deactivated for the rest of the cycle. Assume that Ilead wires 57 and S8 extended to this control to be acti- Vated from the third bank 26 from the left as seen in Fig. 1 and in Fig. 2. The handles or finger pieces 5t) of the first three sliders to move into contact with brushes 53 and 54 after the beginning of the cycle would be positioned to the right as seen in Fig. 4 to expose the non-conducting surface 37 to the brushes. The next six finger pieces 50 would be positioned to the left as seen in Fig. 2 to expose the conducting surfaces 38 of the sliders to the brushes, the next three finger pieces would be positioned to the right in Fig. 3; the next twelve to the left, and the remainder of the linger pieces on the entire drum would be positioned to the right.

The other six banks would be connected by the appropriate corresponding leadwires 57 and 58 to controls to be activated, and the corresponding parallel programs for each control would be set up on its drum by moving the finger pieces to position the segments or sliders as desired.

It will be obvious that when a change is desired in the programing of any one or of all of the elements, it may rapidly be made in the manner just described.

When the overall length of the cycle is to'be changed, it is merely necessary to change the gearing and/ or motor and/or the adjustment of these two thereof so that the drum 21 and axle 22 will be caused to rotate at the proper rate. The number of segments or sliders located around each of the control banks will determine, of course, the fraction of the control cycle which willbecontrolled by the positioning of that drum.

An apparatus of the present invention will be particularly useful in the connection with the programing of chemical processes, heat treating processes, and many other commercial and industrial sequences. It` is to be also understood that this device could be utilized effectively in controlling circuitry for usev with television and/ or radio receivers. For example, a control bank with seventy-six equal segments which made a cycle in a twenty-four hour period could control the turning on and off of such a set at 15 minute intervals while the circuitry of the other banks could control the tuning of the set to a' particular desired channel during any fifteen minute period.

What is claimed is:

1. A programming device including a base, a cylindrical drum assembly rotatably mountedwith respect to said base, means for causing said drum assembly to complete a 360 degree cycle of rotationV in a predetermined period of time, a plurality of sliders mounted in contacting, edge to edge relationship circumferentially around said drum assembly to be slidable parallel to the axis thereof, a pair of brushes xedly mounted with respect to said base to be in simultaneous sliding contact successively with each of said sliders as said drum asembly rotates, each of said sliders having a part-cylindrical,

ferential alinement with said brushes' to a position in which said conducing surface is circumferentially alined with respect to said brushes.

2. The combination as specified in claim 1 wherein said drum assembly includes an axle rotatably mounted with respect to said base; a pair of disc-shaped end plates keyed to said axle and extending radially outwardly therefrom in spaced, parallel relationship to each other; each of said end plates having a first cylindrical flange extending outwardly therefrom, an outer, flat, ring-like disc integral with and extending outwardly from said first flange, and a second cylindrical tiange integral with and extending inwardly from said ring-like disc; a right circular cylinder of electrically non-conducting material encircling said end plates, in contact with outer surfaces of said first cylindrical flange and inner surfaces of said ring-like discs, spacer means holding said end plates and said cylinder in tixed relation to each other, means for slidably mounting said sliders in an area between an outer surface of said cylinder and an inner surface of each of said second cylindrical anges, inwardly extending edges of said second cylindrical flanges being in parallel spaced relationship to each other thus to provide an opening through which said Vbrushes extend to contact such sliders.

3. The combination as specified in claim 2 wherein said means for mounting said sliders includes a pair of parallel,Y longitudinally extending pins for each slider mounted in said ring-like discs, openings being provided in each of said sliders to receive said pins, a resilient spring clip for each slider urging said slider in direction radially outwardly with respect to said drum assembly and contacting each slider on an under surface thereof at a point spaced substantially midway between said end plates, each slider being provided along an under surface thereof with a first spring clip receiving detent in position to tend to maintain said conducting surface of said slider in circumferentially alined relationship to said brushes, and a second spring clip receiving detent positioned to tend to maintain said non-conducting cylindrinon-conducting surface and a part-cylindrical surface of high electrical conductivity concentric with the axis of said drum, and each of said sliders being moveable from a position to have said non-conducting surface in circumcal surface to be in circumferential alinement with said brushes.

4. The'combination as specified in claim 3 wherein each of said sliders is provided with a handle extending radially outwardly therefrom to be accessible for manual manipulation between said inner ends of said second cylindrical anges.

5. A programming device including a base, a plurality of cylindrical drum assemblies all rotatably mounted with respect to said base, means for causing said drum assemblies to complete a 360 degree cycle of rotation in a predetermined period of time, a plurality of sliders mounted in contacting, edge to edge relationship circumferentially around each of said drum assemblies to be slidable parellel to the axis thereof, 'a pair of brushes associated with each of said drum assemblies, fixedly mounted with respect to said base to be in simultaneous sliding contact successively with each of said sliders of its associated drum assembly as said drum assembly rotates, each of said sliders having a part-cylindrical, non-conducting surface and a part-cylindrical surface of high electrical conductivity concentric with the axis of said drum, and each of said sliders being moveable from a position to have said non-conducting surface in circumferential alinement with said brushes to a position in which said conducting surface is circumferentially alined with respect to said brushes. l

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,045,251

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CFJIFICATIE)` OF CORRECTION Patent No. 23809772 April 18,3 1961 George [dia Doberstein It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 1, line 16, for "'parts" read pairs 9; line 18Y strike out Mof"'; line 2Ov for "conductors read n contacts n,

Signed and sealed this 25th day of December 1962- (SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST w. swIDER DAVID L LADD Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE vClll'IIFICArIli] OF CORRECTION Patent No. 2980772 April 18E 1961 George H Doberstein It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the seid Letters Patent should reed as corrected below.

Column 1, line 16 for "parts" read pairs line 18Y strike out "of"; line 2OU for "conductors" read contacts Signed and sealed' this 25th day of December 1962;

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST w. swlDER DAVID L- LADD Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

